The present invention relates to an improved support fixture, and in particular, to a bracket adapted to be attached to wall or ceiling surfaces, such as acoustical tile, wallboard and other surfaces which do not provide adequate support for nails, screws or other fasteners.
The present invention represents an improvement over my U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,396. As described in the previous patent, conventional brackets used to support materials from wall or ceiling surfaces normally use a single supporting nail combined with some type of load device to more equally distribute the weight on the supporting surface. However, when supporting large or bulky items, it is normally necessary to use wall anchors or other similar wall load bearing brackets because of the relative weakness of the tile or plasterboard supporting surface. These types of anchors require holes to be predrilled into the surface, and require that the wall anchor be permanently secured in place. Removal of these types of brackets can only be done by destroying a part of the supporting surface, requiring subsequent repair.
The hanger bracket disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,396 represents an improvement over the known prior art devices, and includes a support base having an angularly disposed wall and a cover having a complimentary angular wall surface for gripping fasteners between the support and the cover to maintain the fasteners in place and at an angle with respect to the support surface, whereby driving the fasteners into the support surface which securely holds the hanger bracket in place. An attachment such as a hook or other support device is connected to the bracket, permitting the hanging materials to be supported. If it becomes necessary to remove the bracket from the support surface, it can be easily done without destroying the support. The cover is removed, exposing the fasteners, which are pulled from the support surface using pliers or similar tool, leaving only small angular holes, which can be easily repaired.
The present invention is directed to an improvement of the hanger bracket shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,396. A first embodiment includes a base member having a frustro-conical outer surface with a plurality of slots integrally molded therein. A cover member includes an inner frustro-conical surface corresponding to the frustro-conical surface of the base. The cover is welded or otherwise secured to the base which closes the slots, creating a plurality of closed channels formed at an angular relationship to the support surface. A plurality of fastener nails or the like are inserted into the channels through the bracket and angularly enter a support surface, thereby securing the bracket in place. The base includes a centrally located threaded hole to receive a hook or similar supporting member, which may be screwed therein for supporting the materials to be hung.
The bracket may be used in combination with an outer cover having an inner well which locates the outer cover around the support bracket. When the outer cover is used, it is placed over the bracket before the hook is connected.
A second embodiment of the support bracket in the form of a generally rectangular element, having at least two angular surfaces and a plurality of angularly displaced holes in the angular surfaces which receive nail fasteners in order to attach the support to a support surface. One end of the support bracket is notched, which forms an integral hook, or attachment member, if the support is used by itself. When an outer cover is used, the outer cover well includes a slot to accommodate one end of the rectangular support to prevent the outer cover from turning when the support is in place on a support surface.
In both of the support bracket embodiments, fasteners are driven into the supporting surface at an angle, making it relatively impossible for the support to be pulled free when a weight, such as a picture frame, flower pot, or other weighted device, is hung from the support surface.
Among the objects of the present invention are the provision of a support bracket for supporting objects from either a ceiling or wall support surface.
Another object is the provision of a support bracket integrally formed with a plurality of angular channels for attachment of fasteners to a support surface.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a support bracket, which uses small sized fasteners which can be removed without permanently damaging the supporting surface.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a support bracket which may be mounted with simple tools and mounting techniques.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which set forth certain embodiments of the invention.